Educating Demand Management from Electricity Users

One of the problems with wind power and the grid at the moment, is that it is difficult to store large amounts of excess power generated by wind farms for when demand is low, to be drawn into the grid as needed when demand is high.  While a mixed economy of nuclear, fossil fuels and renewables makes peaks and troughs in demand manageable, as more countries switch to increasing the per centage of power generated by wind and solar power, that problem of storage becomes more acute.

Until  practical large-scale batteries or other forms of storage for wind generated power can be developed, there is a likelihood that at a peak time of demand, the sun just ain’t a-shining and the wind ain’t a-blowing and the grid is hard-pressed to pull in power from alternative sources to meet demand. It could even lead to blackouts and power cuts.

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UK Grid Main Control Room

But when you look at patterns of demand, most of them can be predicted. There is a surge in demand in the UK between 3.30 and 5.30 when many people are picking the kids up and coming home and cooking tea, while others are still at work in office buildings, that remain brightly lit and fully air-conditioned, even though the numbers working there are reducing as they leave.  Similarly there are peaks in demand after very popular TV shows finish, as people “put the electric kettle on” for a cup of tea, or prepare a meal or snack.

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So why not educate people to change their power-use habits so that they will use more power in off-peak times? Leave it another hour before you put the kettle on for a cuppa after that popular soap has finished? Turn the heating off in a building floor by floor as the last person leaves and turns our the light on that floor? Perhaps switch off air conditioning/heating for an hour over the lunch period, when most people are out getting their food? Many people wouldn’t notice a slight drop in temperature for an hour, which will  be restored when the heating is switched back on. And what about that period between Christmas and the New Year when many people take leave? Why not get those people who are in to shift their workstations and work on just a few floors of the office building, allowing the rest of it to conserve power?

There could be more incentives for managing demand for power in this way and it demands a will on the part of managers, staff and family members to make personal or team contributions to managing demand. Many are already committed to recycling and carbon reduction ideals, so maybe with a little more publicity, public information advertising and celebs giving their services for free to preach managing electricity demand, we can make a difference and iron out the vagaries in the system. At least until we perfect that elusive mass-storage system for power!

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